


The Universe's Plan

by shepweirfan



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-16
Updated: 2011-05-16
Packaged: 2017-10-19 12:08:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/200699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shepweirfan/pseuds/shepweirfan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Doctor decided that he would take a holiday from saving the universe, however, the universe had other plans for him.  Plans that include a little girl, sword fighting, a daughter of Gallifrey, and a Meta-Crisis.</p><p>Thanks to bigdamnxena fan for the beta. :)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Doctor's No Good Very Bad Holiday

The Doctor stepped from the TARDIS taking a deep breath of fresh air. He would be on his own for a week while Amy and Rory went on a space cruise for their honeymoon. He wasn't taking anything for granted, especially Amy Pond. She was the one who pretty much willed him back into existence. So while his friends spent some time alone, the Doctor decided to take a holiday of his own. A holiday from saving the universe.

However, the universe often had other plans for him.

Now seemed to be one of those times. As the Doctor walked along the beaches of Pintos Major, he felt as though he were being followed. He heard a sniffle behind him and turned around to see a young humanoid child standing there. She looked absolutely sad. What was it Amy said on Starship U.K.? He could never resist a child crying. Of course not! They were young and innocent (usually, but that was another story entirely). He took a tentative step towards her so as not to frighten her any more than she already was.

"It's all right; I'm not going to hurt you. I want to help you."

Instead of replying, she ran to the Doctor and slammed into him sobbing. The Doctor let out a small, "Oof!" as she did.

"There, there. We'll sort this all out and get you back to your parents."

Once she had calmed down a bit she looked up at him, her fingers playing with his bowtie. "The bad people took them," she whispered.

"What? What bad people?"

She shook her head. "I don't know."

The Doctor frowned as he thought about this. He had a few options. The first was to ignore it completely but that was out of the question. He couldn't just leave the young one out there all alone. He could bring her to the authorities and let them deal with it or he could just deal with it himself. The Doctor couldn't sit by and let anyone else handle this. Not at all.

"What's your name?"

"Rachel."

"Rachel, I'm the Doctor and will be glad you help you find your parents."

She squealed and gave him a hug followed by a sloppy wet kiss on his cheek. "Thank you, Doctor!"

"Now, my dear Rachel, where did you last see your parents?"

Rachel pointed in the direction of the pier and whispered nervously, "Over there."

He nodded and they headed over. To anyone else it would seem like an ordinary pier, but the Doctor could see there was some type of perception field around it. Holding Rachel with one arm, he reached into his pocket for his sonic screwdriver and began to take readings. He could feel Rachel tensing as they neared the pier. The Doctor tried to calm her down with random words and in all honesty he wasn't paying a bit of attention to what he was saying.

"From Space?" Rachel asked suddenly.

"What?"

"You came from space?"

The Doctor stopped mid-scan. "Yes. Yes I did. Does that frighten you?"

"Nope!"

He realized that this girl was like Amy in that respect. Something scarier than a stranger happened to her. Her parents being taken away in front of her was the equivalent of the crack for Rachel. There was a loud rumble and the ground began to shake. Suddenly a man popped out of nowhere in front  
of them. He was a few inches taller than the Doctor and had piercing blue eyes.

"Who are you?"

The Doctor feigned offense at the fact this guy didn't know who he was. "I am the Doctor and this here is Miss Rachel. We're looking for her parents. Nasty time this poor child has had. Her parents go missing and she's left all alone. And who are you?"

"Colonel Maxton. I'm in charge here and if people are missing it's because the Lord of the Manor needs them for sport."

"Needs them for sport? What does that mean?"

Colonel Maxton laughed. It was enough to make Rachel bury her face in the Doctor's shoulder. "Oh a fight to the death, of course."

"What?" The Doctor's eyes widened. "That's just ridiculous! Who are they going to fight and why?"

"That is not your concern," Maxton replied. He paused, putting a hand to his ear to activate a radio. His grin grew wider. "Seems like my Lord would like to speak to you. You can ask him your questions. I doubt he'll answer but you can ask."

The Doctor nodded. "Fine. Bring me to him!"

"We find mama and daddy now?" Rachel asked as the followed Colonel Maxton through the front door and down the corridors.

"I hope so little one."

Colonel Maxton announced himself and led the Doctor and Rachel into a throne room. The Doctor felt as if he were heading to see the Wizard of Oz. The Lord of the Manor was sitting on a large throne and looking very important. Once the Doctor stood in front of this Lord he set Rachel on the floor. She gripped tightly to his jacket as he began to speak. "Hello! I'm the Doctor and this is Rachel. We came here looking for her parents who we know you have taken."

"To the point, Sir," the Lord said grinning. "I can do that. Yes we do have her parents. They were trespassing."

"Of course they weren't! They're on holiday and wanted to take a walk along a pier. It's typical of humans, on holiday. How about you let them go for the girl?"

The Lord was thoughtful for a moment. "Very well. We will let them go."

"Oh! That's great, thank you!" The Doctor was surprised, but he wasn’t going to look a gift Judoon in the mouth.

"Colonel Maxton, you know what to do."

He nodded and left the room. Almost ten minutes later he came back with a young couple in tow. The woman smiled when she saw Rachel. "Oh, baby girl!"

"Mama!" Rachel exclaimed, rushing to her. She glanced behind her to see the Doctor. "He helped me find you!"

"Thank you so much!" she said.

The Doctor waved his hand dismissively. "All in a day’s work." Suddenly strong arms grabbed his arms. "What is going on here?"

"Payment," the Lord replied.

"Payment?" The Doctor glanced at Rachel and her parents as he was taken away. "Oh."

Rachel began to cry. "No! Don't take the Doctor! Please!"

"It's all right, little one. I'll be fine."

"Daddy, do something!"

Rachel's father didn't know what he could do. He looked at the Doctor helplessly. The Doctor told him with his eyes not to worry about it. "Just go to Space Cruises and find Amy and Rory Pond. They can help!"

******

Amy was quite pleased to be on her honeymoon. Her second honeymoon since the first one nearly crashed into a planet, but she'd take what she could. Needless to say she was having a blast. She and Rory sat down at their table in the dining hall. Apparently space cruises were similar to Earth bound cruises. She looked around at the others assigned to their table. To her left were Drake and his cousin Amara. To Rory's right were Melena and her husband Max. The last two seats were still empty but she saw a young blonde woman take one of the seats.

The woman smiled as she sat and Amy thought the smile seemed familiar. "Hello," she said. "I'm Jenny."

"Are you all right?" Rory whispered, noticing her expression. "Amy?"

Amy nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."

It was two hours after dinner that Jenny came up to Amy. The two were just talking about places they'd been when Rory bounded up to them, out of breath. "I just got a call from the government at Pintos Major." Amy stared at him, knowing that it meant the Doctor was in trouble. "He sacrificed  
himself for a small family and now he's supposed to fight to the death."

Jenny watched the two with interest. "Who sacrificed himself? A friend of yours I suppose?"

"Yeah," Amy replied. "He does it all the time."

Rory nodded in agreement. "That's the Doctor for you. We should just resolve the fact that we're never going to get a complete honeymoon."

"The Doctor?" Jenny whispered. "I'm coming with you!"

"What? No! You don't need to do that. You don't even know him!" Amy said.

"Oh yes I do, Amy. He's my dad." Amy and Rory exchanged glances, but they knew they didn't have time to let Jenny explain that one. They needed to find a way off the ship. She grabbed them by the arms. "Come on, I can get us to Pintos Major in no time!"

Since she was the only one of them that had a way off the cruise ship, Rory and Amy had no choice but to go with her. Once the three were settled and Jenny took off, Amy finally asked the question that had been gnawing at her. "So how are you the Doctor's daughter?"


	2. Chapter 2

The Doctor was pacing in his cell. Okay it was more of a cross between a dressing room and a cell. He was locked in it and there were outfits and armor for him to choose from. He decided to wear his own clothes, however he grinned when he saw something of interest. The Doctor would wear that as well just to be on the safe side. He was told he would have his choice of weapons before entering the arena. Of course the only thing he was going to take with him was the sonic screwdriver. He was not going to kill anyone, especially for sport.

He turned at the knock on the door. The Doctor thought it ridiculous for someone to be knocking considering the fact that he was locked in and couldn't answer the door anyway. A moment later he heard a key and the door swung open. Colonel Maxton stood there with that same grin on his face.

"That's all you're wearing little man?"

"What? Of course it is!"

"What's with the tie?"

"Bowties are cool!" he replied, adjusting it.

Maxton just shook his head and grabbed the Doctor by the arm. He was led down the hall towards the arena. The Doctor could already hear people cheering. "Choose your weapon."

"Uh..." The Doctor looked at the arrangement. All sorts of alien weaponry at his disposal, from Sontaran to Slitheen weapons. His eyes finally caught something that he was pretty good at using. It was going to have to do. The Doctor reached for the sabre. "All right. Geronimo, I guess."

Maxton merely glanced at the Doctor as the announcer introduced the next fight. He peered around the colonel and saw his opponent. Of course he was going one on one with someone bigger than him and of course the creature had chosen a broad sword instead. Before the Doctor could say a word to Maxton, he was shoved into the arena. "And tonight we have a real treat ladies and gentlemen! Your challenger is the Doctor and he is the last of his kind from Gallifrey!"

There were murmurs heard in the stand. The Doctor wondered how they knew he was a Time Lord because he didn't recall telling anyone that. Looking around the arena, then over at his opponent, he realized that it didn't matter. He had to fight to death if he wanted to live. All training he had on the sabre came back full force as he battled the Gulkarian.

The Doctor lost his footing at one point and his head would have been lopped off if he hadn't bent down to keep from falling ungracefully to the ground. He felt the sting of the sword on his forearm and before he could regain his equilibrium, the Gulkarian grabbed him and tossed him through the air. He felt his left shoulder dislocate as he landed on it and pain emanated from his head as it bounced on the ground as well. The Doctor quickly got to his feet, channeling all his pain into strength. "That was uncalled for," he said. "Do you even know who I am?"

The Gulkarian grinned knowingly but he didn't seem to care as he swung at the Doctor again. Luckily he missed, but the Doctor felt the breeze as the sword was swiped at him. His adrenaline rush was quickly fading away. Every bone in his body ached and something felt all wrong. Why was this alien in front of him swaying? Or was that him? The Doctor realized it was him and dropped to his knees. He saw the Gulkarian looming closer as the edges of his vision began to blur.

***

Amy was still stunned by the turn of events that brought them to Pintos Major. First they found out that the Doctor was in trouble (well okay that part wasn't very surprising) and a fellow passenger on their honeymoon cruise could not only bring them to the planet he was on, but she was also his daughter.

Jenny told them about how she was created and why she looked to be in her early twenties even though she was just over two years old. "He thought I was dead and there was no regeneration sequence. I think I experienced some sort of healing coma. I don't really know. I just knew that when I woke up, I wanted to travel." She paused, looking almost nostalgic. "And run."

"The running is sometimes the best bit," Amy replied as they headed through the space port of Pintos Major.

Rory eyed her skeptically. "The running? Really?"

"One of the best parts," she said with a laugh, taking his hand. "Where are the President's people that were supposed to meet us out here?"

Jenny looked around and saw someone holding a sign with her name on it. "I'm Jenny," she told him.

"This is Amy and Rory."

"Right this way, please."

The three followed the man to a limousine. "I've never been in one of those before," Rory whispered in Amy's ear.

She giggled, but it was cut short when they got inside. There were two men, a woman, and small child already seated inside. The young couple and the little girl seemed very upset about something. Amy didn't know what happened, but she knew the Doctor was involved. She only hoped he hadn't inadvertently started some sort of catastrophe.

The older man spoke up. "I am President Nexus," he began. "I apologize that we have to meet under these circumstances."

"And just what circumstances are those? We were told our friend was in trouble," Amy said, arms crossed.

"And he is I'm afraid. There is a rogue faction on our planet that insists on keeping with the old traditions, traditions that my father had banned due to their barbaric nature. This tradition includes a fight to the death between different species. This couple had unknowingly fallen into the faction's trap. There was a perception filter over the pier. They were taken and their daughter had been roaming the beach when she spotted your friend. He helped her get her family back."

Jenny looked over at the little who buried her face into her mother's shoulder. "And the Doctor sacrificed himself for this family?"

The girl's father spoke up instead of the President. "He did. None of us realized at the time, though, that they were going to trade us for him. We owe him our lives and will pay anything to help return him to you."

"I'm sorry." The girl lifted her head, finally looking at each of them. Tears were falling down her cheek. "I'm sorry! I just wanted Mama and Daddy back. Now I want the...the Doctor back too!"

Amy moved over to kneel in front of her. "Hi, I’m Amy. What's your name?"

"Rachel."

"Well, Rachel, if I know the Doctor he's already escaped. We'll just go and make sure, yeah? And it's   
not your fault he was taken, it was those people who did that. Understand?"

Rachel tilted her had as if trying to debate whether or not she trusted Amy. Finally she grinned. "I do! Thank you, Amy," she said, giving her a hug.

A few hours later they were heading to the pier where this palace was located. Amy was impressed with how Jenny took charge explaining to the soldiers that they were not to kill anyone. That was all the proof she needed to finally be convinced that this girl was truly the Doctor's daughter even though such a thing seemed impossible. Amy was surprised she still used that word especially after everything she'd seen in the past year. So many amazing, wonderful, yet impossible things.

The army gathered around the pier and Jenny produced some sort of device that located the source of a perception filter and turned it off. It was similar to the sonic screwdriver only a bit smaller. Once the filter was down screams were heard from inside the palace. It sounded as if all hell had broken loose. Amy exchanged a glance with Rory and Jenny. The three bounded in after the soldiers. After running for quite a while they came to an arena. People were still streaming from the place, hoping to avoid being captured.

Amy grabbed one of the women who was trying to escape. "Please don't hurt me! This is my first time here and I was just curious and my brother comes all the time and..."

"Relax, I'm not going to hurt you," Amy told her. "I'm just trying to find a friend. He wears a tweed jacket, a bowtie, and has ridiculously floppy hair. Goes by the Doctor."

The woman's face paled at that. "Oh my! I am so sorry for your loss."

"What?" Jenny cried. "What do you mean by that?"

"I... he was sent into the arena to fight a Gulkarian, who killed him. Mind you the Doctor fought bravely and everyone was thrilled to see a Time Lord fight in the arena. However, these things are supposed to be rigged. He should have won. The crowd was not too thrilled when he was killed."  
Amy wanted to throttle the woman. She just wanted to know where he was. The Doctor said something about being able to stop death by changing. He could still be alive. "Where is he?"

***

The Doctor's eyes snapped open once people began screaming. Looking around he saw that the arena seats were just about emptied. There was no sign of the Gulkarian or the "Lord of the Manor"   
whoever he was. He glanced down at the hole in his sleeve. "Of course he didn’t aim for the protective vest," he muttered, getting to his feet.

He couldn't remember the last time he was so sore. The first order of business though was to pop his dislocated shoulder back into place. He found a secluded spot away from the running people (who kept slamming into him and causing new spikes of pain to emerge).

Once he arrived relatively unscathed, the Doctor used the wall to fix his shoulder. He screamed loudly but knew no one would hear him in the din. He also decided to leave the vest on just in case. That and he didn't want to maneuver it off his shoulder. Seeing that the arena was just about empty the Doctor moved away from the wall. He caught himself as a wave of dizziness hit and his head started pounding. He reached up to touch the back of his head. Blood came away on his hand. Okay how did he miss that?

"Doctor!"

He was starting to hear things. That sounded like Amy.

"Doctor!"

That was Rory.

"Dad!"

He blinked. Now he was really hearing things. That sounded like... No, it couldn't be her! She died in his arms. He remembered it clearly as if it were yesterday. Taking a deep breath, the Doctor headed towards their voices. He could see three people running towards him when his vision blurred and he dropped to his knees. The Doctor was still trying to remember when he hit his head. It was probably when the Gulkarian threw him across the floor.

Suddenly he felt hands helping him lie down on something. It felt softer than the floor and he realized it was a stretcher. Blinking his eyes opened he saw the concerned looks on Amy and Rory's faces. His hearts nearly skipped a beat when he saw her, though. He had to be dreaming. The Doctor grabbed Amy's arm and pulled her close. "I have to be hallucinating," he whispered, staring at Jenny as he spoke. "She's not here is she?"

Amy looked from him to Jenny and back to the Doctor. "Of course she's here, Doctor. You're not imagining things."

"That's not possible..."

"Didn't you always tell me you believe five impossible things before breakfast?" she asked.

The Doctor swallowed around the lump in his throat finally taking his eyes off Jenny to look at Amy. "The last time I saw her she was dead."


	3. Chapter 3

Amy and Rory looked over at Jenny. "Is he all right?"

Rory shook his head and checked the Doctor's vitals. "Doctor, do you remember everything that happened to you?"

"Dislocated shoulder and apparently a bump on the head."

"Apparently?"

"Didn't notice until after I popped my shoulder back into place. I think I was bleeding."

Rory frowned. "You think?" he said, checking his head. "Well, you're right about that, but it seems to   
have stopped."

"Doctor, what's this hole in your sleeve?"

The Doctor waved off Amy's concern as they placed in one of the ambulances. The people of Pintos   
Major allowed Rory to take care of his friend because they were unfamiliar with Time Lord physiology. Not that Rory knew much about it either... "It's nothing, just a scratch. Really, it's nothing to worry about."

Rory could tell the Doctor was exhausted and he had a feeling his head was hurting. "Are there any   
pain medicines I can give you?" he asked.

"What?" The Doctor winced as he attempted to sit up, and then thought better of it. "I don't need pain medicine. I think I'll just sleep."

"No!"

The Doctor's eyes snapped open and he looked at Amy. Rory was looking at her in confusion as well.   
"He has a head injury, yeah?" she asked Rory.

"He can sleep. We just have to wake him every so often to make sure he's remembering and doesn't slip into a coma," Rory clarified. "You've been watching too much telly.”

"How about you get me to the med lab on the TARDIS? She'll be able to help you with whatever I   
need. Also the equipment is much more sophisticated than here."

Rory nodded in agreement but before he could ask anymore questions, the Doctor had drifted off. Rory glanced over at Jenny who was biting her lip as she looked down at her dad. She gently placed a hand on his forehead. "He's so different than the last time I saw him. He seems calmer. Well that and he physically looks different."

"What do you mean by that?" Amy wanted to know. "He's always looked like this."

She smiled shaking her head. "Maybe since you've known him."

***

Once they were in the med lab Rory and Jenny were able to figure out how the scanners worked and   
soon a diagnostic report was being displayed on the computer screen. "It's in Gallifreyan," Rory said, looking over at Jenny. "Can you read it?"

Amy shook her head and moved Rory out of the way. "It says that the Doctor has a slight concussion and inflamed shoulder. Also... Oh God!"

"What?" Rory and Jenny asked looking over her shoulder and realizing they could read it now too.

"He's been poisoned."

Rory moved to the Doctor's side and looked down at the injury on his arm. "Help me get this thing off him," he said.

It didn’t take them long to maneuver the shirt off the Doctor. They all gasped at the redness and swelling surrounding the small wound. Rory took immediate action asking Amy to get some water and washcloths. Jenny looked over the monitor to see if she could find anything else that would give them more information on how to help her dad. She may have had Gallifreyan memories and physiology but even she didn't know anything about medicine.

"It says here that we should give him some antibiotics. The TARDIS should provide them."

Rory looked up when he heard a soft pop to his left. On one table were an IV and various other   
pieces of medical equipment. After the wound was cleaned, he would need to close it as well. First, he needed to make sure he knew what he was doing. Rory was happy to note that most everything was similar to Earth technology.

Amy reappeared and began cleaning the Doctor's wound. "Rory," she said quietly. He looked up from the IV he had just inserted in the Doctor's vein. Unshed tears were in her eyes. "Is he going to be okay?"

"I don't know, Amy. This poison has already taken him over."

"What do you mean by that?" Jenny asked.

Rory took a deep breath. As he always told himself he wasn't a doctor. True he knew a lot of things about medicine but some things... And honestly whether the Doctor survived or not wasn't going to be dependent on medicine. "According to the computer his body is shutting down and he's not fighting it. It's almost as if he's letting it happen."

"But he'll just change again, won't he?" Jenny asked. "Oh I wish Martha or Donna were here. They would know."

Rory and Amy exchanged glances. "Who?" Amy wanted to know.

"You don't know them? They must have left before you met the Doctor. They were with him when I was born. The TARDIS has to know how to get in touch with them. Martha is a doctor you know!"  
Jenny ran out of the med lab before either could say a word. "You'd better go with her," Rory suggested. Amy nodded, giving her husband a kiss.

***

Amy arrived in the console room to see Jenny running around and hitting, bopping, turning various knobs. "What are you doing?"

"You're from Earth, right? What year?"

"Wait! Jenny!" Amy exclaimed, taking the woman by her shoulders. "Before you send us anywhere, I need you tell me who you are exactly and what you're trying to accomplish!"

Jenny took a step back from Amy. "I told you! I was created from the Doctor's DNA. I have two hearts. Martha and Donna were both there. Martha is a doctor and used to travel with him. She will have the resources to help. I know how to fly the TARDIS even if I never have before."

Amy looked into her eyes. She could see the Doctor in them and nodded. "Okay then! Earth, London, England June 30th, 2010." As much as she wanted to relieve her wedding, she was afraid that if she went back to the 26th the crack would still be there. She had no desire to live life without the Doctor again even if only a few hours.

Within moments they were landing on Earth. Amy looked up at the monitor and saw they were just outside of London. She pushed the button to activate the view screen and saw a dark-skinned couple coming towards the TARDIS. "Is that her?" she asked Jenny.

Jenny nodded. "Yeah."

"I'll go let them in and explain you to her. Something tells me it’s going to be a bit of a shock to see you alive, yeah?"

"Good idea."

Amy watched as Jenny left the console room before heading to the door.


	4. Of Former Companions and Meta-Crises

Martha and Mickey had been getting ready to leave for work when they heard the familiar engines. They looked at one another and raced to get their shoes on. Soon they were out the door and running towards the sound. The TARDIS was standing about a block from their flat. "Doctor!" Martha said, knocking on the door. "Donna?"

The door opened to reveal a young red-headed woman that was not Donna. Mickey looked at her  
funny. "You're not Donna... or are you? Did you change like the Doctor?"

"Did I what? No, I'm Amy."

"Sorry," Martha said, extending her hand. "Martha Jones. This is my husband Mickey. We both used to travel with the Doctor. Is he all right?"

Amy bit her bottom lip and shook her head. "I'm afraid not. That's why we came here. We thought you could help. I was told you're a doctor."

Martha nodded. "I am. Where is he?"

"The med lab."

Amy explained what happened and how the Doctor ended up in this predicament in the first place.

"My husband's a nurse but he's bit out of his league with this one," she said. "Also there's something else you should know."

The three stopped in front of the med lab doors. "What is it?" Martha asked.

"There's a woman here that goes by the name of Jenny. She says she's the Doctor's daughter."

Martha stared at Amy in shock. "But she died. I was there!" she all but whispered. Taking a deep breath she went into the med lab. And there was Jenny, standing at the Doctor's bedside. Martha also noted that he had regenerated. She wasn't too surprised at that; he must have thought he was dying to say goodbye the way he did. She was relieved to see he survived that. Hopefully he would survive this as well without having to deal with regeneration so soon.

Jenny turned around and smiled at Martha. "Didn't think I'd see you again," she said.

"Neither did I,” Martha replied, giving her a hug. "We can catch up later, yeah?"

"Yeah."

Amy's husband looked up from the computer monitor he was reading. "Rory Williams," he said.

"Martha Jones.”

Rory told Martha about his treatment of the Doctor as she checked his vitals. "And he's been poisoned," the nurse added.

Martha sighed. "Of course he has. The Doctor never does anything halfway." She looked up at the IV and nodded in approval. "Ever thought about being a doctor, Rory?"

"Once or twice."

"Will he be okay?" Amy asked moving to stand beside Rory.

"Once the poison leaves his system. Looking at the scans it seems this was meant to kill. It seems it only incapacitates Time Lords, though."

Rory nodded. "That's what I thought. He's been having hallucinations as well. It may just be from the fever, however. He keeps asking for Rose and Donna. Jenny mentioned Donna. Do you know where we can find them?"

Martha frowned. It seemed as if the Doctor didn't tell his new companions about his past. Not that it really surprised her. It took him a while to tell her about Rose and about his people. She wasn't sure if she should tell them. She felt a hand on her shoulder and saw Mickey there. "I think you should," he said. "It could help the Doctor get through this if they knew and they could be there for him. And we have to figure out what happened to Donna."

"You're right, Mickey."

***

Amy sat in the pilot's chair in the console room. She'd been in there since Martha told them about Rose and Donna. The TARDIS was scanning for information on the latter since the former was in a parallel universe. She could hardly believe it. Rose had almost ended up in the Void. Was that where the Doctor was when he was lost through the crack in her wall? She knew Rory had woken up as a soldier. A robot soldier but he hadn't been nowhere.

The TARDIS beeped and suddenly it started up. "Oi! Hey, what are you doing?"

"Amy?" Jenny and Mickey arrived.

"I didn't touch a thing. I'm thinking she's taking us to Donna."

The TARDIS landed and the three looked at one another. "I think we should see if the Doc's awake or not. I don't want to just randomly show up at Donna's flat. He needs to let us know what happened," Mickey suggested.

Amy nodded at Mickey in agreement and they went back to the med lab. Martha had a wet cloth in her hand and was pressing it against the Doctor's forehead. "How is he?" Amy asked.

"Not well," Martha replied. "This poison is wreaking havoc on his hearts. How many beats per minute, Rory?"

He visibly paled as he checked. "Only 100." Rory looked over at Amy. "It should be at least 170."

Amy moved over to stand beside the Doctor, taking his hand. "Oi, Doctor! You made me wait 14 years for you and then another 2,000 so I think it's about time you woke up! I need my Raggedy Doctor to sit up and start thinking. No more looking into the past! You need to live in the present. Come on, Doctor!"

 

***

The Doctor felt as if he were floating through time and space. That wasn't anything new except he was usually in the TARDIS when he did that. Before him he saw doorways through time. He was having trouble sensing when they were but he felt compelled to go through one and then he was on Earth. The UNIT base to be exact. He was their scientific advisor during his third incarnation. It's where he met Sarah Jane. A moment later another door appeared and he was on the TARDIS watching helplessly as the ship Adric was on exploded.

More doors opened and he was being taken through his timeline. These were repeats of repeats, he thought to himself as remembered going through something similar as he was erased from existence. The Doctor spotted a large glass door at the end of the hall. He walked over to with curiosity, but it was locked. He saw a blonde woman and immediately knew it was Rose. She was standing beside a man... his clone. He had come to terms with the fact that he was never going to be with her, but now, seeing her again made his hearts ache.

He sighed and went to the next door, which was very familiar. It was from Earth he could tell and it was one he knew well. The Doctor stepped through and found himself in Donna's home, but there was no sign of her. Wilf and Sylvia were watching the telly. He just stood there watching and wondering how Donna was doing. The phone rang and Wilf went to answer it. The Doctor had a feeling he knew who it was and hearing Wilf's end of the conversation had him worried.

"Just relax, sweetheart. I'll be right over."

Wilf hung up and told Sylvia he was going out for a bit. The Doctor followed him outside and that's when he saw the TARDIS. He was unable to follow the man any further and was suddenly snapped back to reality.

"Doctor?"

That voice was familiar. His eyes blinked open. "Do you mind, Pond? I have a terrible headache."

"Sorry."

They were surprised when he sat up quickly. "He's here!"


	5. Chapter 5

They were surprised when he sat up quickly. "He's here!"

Martha shook her head. "Relax, Doctor. You're not going anywhere."

"I need to see him it's important."

"Who?"

"Donna's grandfather. He's probably pounding on the TARDIS door," the Doctor replied attempting to remove the IV.

"I'll let him in. You're still far too weak to be dashing about," Martha told him.

The Doctor took in the faces of those around him. He didn't think any amount of arguing would do any good with this lot. "Fine," he replied with a pout.

"You still have a fever," Rory told him as he checked over the Time Lord.

He nodded. "Yes, plasing venom will do that to me. My body breaks it down quickly." The Doctor knew this was going to be a difficult healing process. Plasing venom also seemed to break down immunities. He would probably have to stay confined to the TARDIS for at least a month. Maybe the Zero Room would help if he could only find it. It had to be taken apart the last time he used it.

"Um, Doctor?" Amy was standing beside him and he knew she was going to ask him a question he didn't want to answer. "Who's Donna? Why isn't she here and what about Rose?"

Okay that was three questions he didn't want to answer. The Doctor took a deep breath, but before he could respond, Mickey did. "Leave Rose be," he said quietly, looking at the Doctor.

He smiled sadly. "It's all right, Mickey. We'll deal with Donna first since she's the immediate issue at hand."

Amy nodded as the Doctor gave a brief summary of the Stolen Earth incident, neither which she or Rory seemed to remember. That wasn't the part that bothered her; it was the part about wiping Donna's memories. "That's what you do then?" Amy asked. "Wipe our memories then leave us on Earth so we don't even think about you?"

"No, of course not! Martha is proof of that. So is Mickey. If I hadn't Donna would have burned up and she knew it."

"You can't tell me she didn't have a choice," Amy said. "There had to have been a choice between traveling with you and never knowing you."

The Doctor was silent. She was right, of course, Donna did have a choice and he wouldn’t let her choose. Before he could reply Martha appeared with Wilf in tow.

"Bless me! When she told me you changed your face I never thought you'd look like a teenager!"

The Doctor grinned. "Hello, Wilf! I believe you received a call from Donna?"

He looked at him amazed. "How did you... Never mind. Yeah. She was upset, asked me to go over."

"Let’s go then!" The Doctor said, this time giving everyone a look of his own.   
Rory sighed and removed the IV. "Are you sure about this, Doctor?" he asked.

"I am, but first I need my bowtie!"

***

Donna was pacing and making Shaun nervous, she knew. She stopped suddenly, pulling him into a hug. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's happening to me. These dreams don't seem like dreams. They're almost like..."

"Like what?"

"Like memories."

Shaun frowned. "How are you feeling right now? Any more pain?"

Donna truly loved this man. He chose to stay with her even after she started having these   
nightmarish, yet amazing dreams. Dreams that caused intense pain and had her feeling as if she were burning from the inside out. "There's a dull ache," she replied, "but nothing like last night."

That had been scary. For him more than her she suspected. He said she had been catatonic for about five minutes without responding to him. He was just about to call for an ambulance when she woke. Eventually, Donna had convinced him she was fine. That is until she heard a familiar sound. A sound that was normally just in her dreams. Then she saw a flash of a tall, skinny man with crazy hair. She recognized him as John Smith, the man who helped her after the accident that caused the memory loss.

However, whenever she saw that man in her mind, he wasn't called John Smith, he was the Doctor.  
That was the reason Donna didn't call for her mother. No, she called her grandfather because if her mom even heard Donna was having these headaches and dreams she would get angry and not speak to either of them for days. She didn't know why but for some reason it had to do with this Doctor, whoever he was.

She blinked when she felt Shaun's hand on her cheek. "Why don't you go lie down, Love? I'm sure he'll be here soon. I'll make you some tea."

Donna smiled, hugging Shaun. "That sounds good. I love you."

"Love you too."

***

"Doctor, maybe you should..." Wilf started.

But the Time Lord waved him off as they entered the console room. "Now, tell me about Donna," he insisted, putting on his tweed jacket.

Wilf stared at him a moment before telling him about what she'd been experiencing lately. "When she remembers too much she said it feels like her head is burning."

The Doctor took a deep breath. He thought the process had been complete when she passed out. Now he wasn't so certain. Checking the console he realized why the TARDIS brought him to Donna. She found a way to save her. He'd have to look everything over but it was a start. Grinning, he patted the console. "Oh you are amazing! Wilf, where does Donna live?"

They were the only ones who went to Donna's. It was going to be hard enough dealing with Shaun. From what Wilf told him, though, Shaun was a standup guy and absolutely loved Donna. The Doctor was happy to know that she found love as well. Knocking on the door, they only had to wait a few seconds before it was opened. "She's gotten worse," Shaun said letting the men in. "I went into the   
kitchen to make tea. When I came back she was unconscious and not responding to me."

The Doctor immediately went to Donna's side and began scanning her with the sonic screwdriver. He paid little attention to the men behind him but he was pretty certain Wilf was telling Shaun who he was. "That's him then?" Shaun asked. "She's dreaming of a real person... alien? Everything that happened to her in those dreams were memories?"

"They were," the Doctor replied. "And they were brilliant memories."

A brief look of confusion passed over Shaun's face. "But wait, you don't look how she described you. She said something about a mad rooster."

"Oi! Well, she was right about the mad part anyway." The Doctor glanced at his sonic as it beeped.

"We need to get her to the TARDIS."

The Doctor moved to pick her up when a wave of dizziness washed over him and he suddenly felt the urge to collapse right beside Donna. Why did he have to deal with being poisoned at this point in time he wondered? Wilf steadied him as Shaun picked up his wife.


	6. Chapter 6

Rory and Martha were the only two in the med lab when they arrived. Martha had Shaun lay Donna on one of the beds, and then glanced over at Rory, who nodded. The nurse led the Doctor to another bed. "Sit," he ordered.

Before the Doctor could even say a word, Rory had slipped in an IV and injected it with a sedative. He had no choice but to succumb to the medication. "You are a tricky human, Rory..." he said as he drifted off to sleep.

Martha had Donna hooked up to the instruments to see how Donna was faring when Rory walked over. "How is he?"

"He still has a slight temperature. I gave him one of those sedatives and more antibiotics. It seems the swelling's gone down a bit."

"That's a relief. I hate seeing the Doctor sick. It was rare while I traveled with him, but it was scary too," Martha told him. "Sometimes you think he was invincible."

Rory nodded. "Yeah. How is she doing? Will she wake up?"

Martha sighed. "I don't know. The TARDIS is doing most of the work by keeping her from..." She glanced up at Shaun and Wilf who were watching her expectantly.

"From burning?" Wilf whispered.

"What is going on?" Shaun asked his question dripped with anger. "My wife is dying from whatever that... alien did to her! Is he going to fix it?"

Rory took a deep breath before responding. He knew Shaun was scared and that's why he was lashing out. "The Doctor tried to save her. She traveled with him and saw and did some amazing things. He had to take her memories away to keep her from dying."

"But she's dying anyway!" Wilf took the young man by the arm and excused them.

Donna's eyes opened a moment later. She looked around in confusion at first, but then understood where she was. "Martha?"

"Donna!" Martha said, astonished. "I didn't think..."

She smiled, pointing at herself. "Meta-crisis and all that."

"Of course, but are you... I mean..."

"Am I burning?" She asked. Martha nodded. "The TARDIS is helping me control it for now. She knows there's something the Doctor can do to help me. He had been so scared for me that he thought what he did would help me. It didn't, but that's okay because I know what he has to do."

Martha smiled. "That's brilliant. The TARDIS showed him earlier and he was very excited, but he's a bit out of it right now. I don't suppose it's going to take much effort from him is it?"

Donna looked around the room but didn't see her friend anywhere. She saw another man standing quietly behind Martha and one in bed a few feet away, but no Doctor. She realized he must have regenerated. Looking up at Rory, she said, "Well, Doctor, can't say you've improved. That's one heck of a nose."

Rory sputtered as Martha giggled. "That's not the Doctor, that's Rory. He and his wife travel with him, though. The Doctor is over there," she said, pointing at the man in bed.

"What? Are you sure? He looks like he's ten years old!"

"Positive," Rory replied. "I mean that's what he's looked like since I've known him anyway."  
Donna nodded. "How has he been since, you know, everything with Rose?"

"Honestly I haven't seen him since then," Martha admitted. "I think he was on his own for a while and then with your Granddad. You'll have to ask him for more details and how the regeneration was triggered unless the Doctor will tell you. You know how he likes to keep things from people."

"Don't I know it!" she replied, watching him fondly.

***

Amy was quiet as she led Jenny through the TARDIS. She kept thinking about what the Doctor said about Donna's choice. She could hear the pain in his voice. She had been so caught up in worrying about her future that she didn't think of his past. The Doctor hid it quite well, but every once in a while she saw it in his eyes. He was 907 years old. Of course he couldn't tell her everything about his past companions and there was no need to be jealous of them. They had their time and she was having hers right now.

She needed to apologize the first opportunity she got. With a nod, Amy smiled, taking Jenny's hand. "So tell me about the first time you met your Dad."

It was almost an hour later before the pair had found their way back to the med lab giggling. They met up with Martha, who was carrying a tray of tea, and Rory. They stayed outside a moment and Amy gave them a questioning look. "The Doctor and Donna are talking about what needs to be done to help her," Martha explained. "The process is going to be easy for Donna, but not the Doctor. We're a bit hesitant to start with his already weakened state from the poison."

"What does that mean?" Amy asked, taking Rory's hand.

"It could kill him," he replied.

***

"Of course I'm going to do it, Donna."

She shook her head. "No! Just wait until you're better. I can hold on."

"I know you can but if we wait another month we may not be able to reverse the meta-crisis. Besides you're in this mess because of me. The least I can do is correct it since I didn't do that in the first place," he told her. He smiled. "And did you ever think of what your mother would do to me if she knew I had a way to save you and didn't go through with it just to protect myself? She's mad enough at me as it is!"

Donna nodded chuckling. "Mum just hasn't gotten to know you."

The Doctor ran a hand through his hair. "You know I have a higher chance of surviving this now compared to you in a month."

Donna was quiet because she knew he was right. "You're absolutely mad, you know that?"

"That's what I keep telling everyone," he replied as he stood, channeling all his reserved strength and adrenaline. "No sense in you lot hanging about in the corridor!" he called out.

Everyone filed in, Martha setting the tray on the table. "What did you decide?" she asked already   
knowing the answer.


	7. The Chameleon Arch

Everyone filed in , Martha setting the tray on the table. "What did you decide?" she asked already   
knowing the answer.

"We're doing this now," he said.

The Doctor looked around at each of them. Mickey Smith. Brave Mickey. From zero to hero in two seconds flat.

Dr. Martha Jones. Trustworthy and loyal from the moment they met.

Wilfred Mott. He was like a father to him and a lifeline to Donna.

Amy and Rory Pond. Wonderful friends and always there for him.

Jenny. His daughter alive and well. He saw those he lost in her eyes and while it made him miss them more, The Doctor had her.

And finally Donna Noble. Loud, lovely, and absolutely brilliant! The most important person in the universe.

"The TARDIS," he began, "has created a second chameleon arch." Martha closed her eyes and the Doctor placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a reassuring smile when she opened them. "The original use for this device was to change every DNA in one's body into that of another species. I used it once to become human. With two it will help differentiate between the Time Lord in me and the human in Donna. It will have the template of Donna's original DNA from before the meta-crisis. The TARDIS has scans of everyone who has ever set foot on her."

Rory asked, "Why is this going to affect you more than her?"

"I was wondering that too," Martha said. "You were screaming from the moment you put that thing on, Doctor. I thought you were dying."

Mickey put his arm around his wife as the Doctor replied. "I suppose in a way I was. But regarding Donna, I'm sure she'll be in pain but it will be considerably less for her because she's hooked up to the TARDIS already. All the pain will be absorbed by her."

"But why can't she take yours as well?" Amy wanted to know.

"Because both of us would be too much for the old girl. Besides I have a higher threshold for pain."

The Doctor would say no more on the matter and was soon in the console room looking over the two chameleon arches, scanning them with the sonic screwdriver. He spoke softly to the TARDIS as he did so and she responded in his mind. She was worried about him too. The Doctor gave the console a pat. "Nothing to fret, old girl. Everything will work out as it should. You know that better than anyone."

He turned when he heard footsteps behind him and saw Jenny standing there. "Hello, dad," she said with a smile.

"Jenny!" he exclaimed. "I'm sorry, things have been a bit mad around here."

She shook her head. "It's all right. It wasn't exactly calm the last time we were together."

"I should say not. You look well. I see you have a different attribute than I do."

"It seems like. I think I was in a healing coma, though."

The Doctor nodded. That would explain why Martha thought she had died. Sometimes their heart rates would decrease so much that it would be almost as if they were dead. "Well, I'm glad it worked out. I was..."

"It's all right. I'm alive and you are too, but I was wondering if you could do me one favor."

"Anything, Jenny," he said grinning.

"Don't leave me now."

He gave her a hug. "I promise."

They separated so the Doctor could finish his calibrations and Jenny helped him out. He knew he shouldn't be surprised that she knew where everything was and what to do, but he was. After all she wasn't created under normal circumstances. Despite feeling weak he found he was gaining some strength just by having his daughter with him. They were just about finished when Amy came in saying they were on their way with Donna.

The console was needed so they had to do everything there. Jenny exchanged a glance with Amy and left the room. "Um, Doctor?"

"Yes, Amy," he said, not looking up from the wires he was adjusting. He suddenly felt her arms around him and she hugged him tightly. "Amy! Air!"

"Oh, right! Sorry!"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you okay?"

"Me? I'm not the one who had a fight to the death with an alien and came away with a dislocated shoulder, which I thought would be killing you right now and where is your sling? Not to mention the fact that you've been poisoned and then I go pestering you about your past and being all jealous."

"Relax, Amy," he said, realizing she'd just had what Rory called an "info dump". "I'm channeling my adrenaline through my body to keep me going so that will explain my shoulder and the poisoning. Time Lords have a higher amount of that in their systems hence the easier it is for us to deal with pain. And you don't need to apologize for pestering me. You're curious and that's what I love most about the human race. I promise I will tell you all about Rose later."

Amy sighed. "But that's just it. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"I said I would, Amy," he replied, finally looking up at her. "I know I don't always keep my promises, but I am working on that and this is one you can count on."


	8. Chapter 8

Donna hated that she was lying on a gurney being pushed through the corridors of the TARDIS. She felt Shaun's hand in hers and, even though she had always known, this confirmed how much he loved her. He listened to everything she told him about her adventures, about the Doctor. All anger he had felt towards the Time Lord dissipated immediately. She never thought she could love him any more than at that moment.

She was brought over to the console under one of the arches then looked over at Shaun. He squeezed her hand and gave her a kiss. "I love you," he told her. "So much."

"I know and I love you, too."

The Doctor came up to the couple, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. "Donna will be back to her normal self in no time," he said as the arch lowered. Donna placed it on her head with a nod.

He went around to the other side noting that Rory and Martha had placed another gurney there. "I don't think that will be necessary," he told them, but climbed onto it anyway. He adjusted the helmet as Donna spoke up. "Oi! You ready over there, Spaceman?"

"Only if you are."

"Then do it!"

The Doctor nodded and flipped the switch. Everyone around him, along with all thoughts going through his mind faded away as excruciating pain coursed through his body. He would not allow the TARDIS to take any of it from him. He wasn't sure how long the Chameleon Arch was activated. He was breathing heavily and staring up at Martha through half-lidded eyes and knew that only minutes had passed even though it had felt like eternity to him.

"Doctor," Martha said. "Doctor, can you hear me?"

"Is Donna all right?" he asked. He was still in pain and was afraid to move his head too much even to check on her.

Martha glanced to her right and nodded with a smile. "She'll be fine, Doctor. What about you?"

"Healing... coma," he told her and let his eyes slip shut.

****

Martha glanced up at Jenny. "You slipped into one of those, yeah?"

"I did. They told me I was 'dead' for nearly two hours."

"Oh God, you were?"

"Yeah? Why?"

"Because that's about the time we left," Martha replied. "If we had stayed just a few minutes longer..."

Jenny shook her head. "Don't think about that now. I'm here, he's here and he's going to be fine! His coma might take a bit longer than mine considering he had been poisoned, though."

Martha nodded in understanding then went to check on Donna after sending Mickey and Jenny to bring the Doctor back to the med lab. Rory seemed to be doing a great job. She knew most nurses were unsung heroes, though, and he seemed to be no exception. "How are you feeling?" she asked,   
checking Donna's vitals.

"Great. A bit tingly, but I seemed to be back to normal with all memories intact. I remember the worlds we visited, the people we saved." She took Shaun's hands, looking up at him. "I want to share it all with you."

He smiled and gave her a kiss and suddenly she was being hugged like crazy by him and her grandfather. "Oh that man!" Wilf said. "He is just amazing! Always sacrificing himself for his friends, for the world. I sort of adopted him, you know. After he... you know, took your memory away. He was so sad and alone, but I told him I would remember and think of him every day. When he came back and had the chance to bring his people back he denied them and they nearly killed me for it. If he hadn't been there none of us would be alive today and that Master chap would be all over the world.”

"Wait, what?" Martha asked. "The Master was back?"

"Yeah, don't you remember?"

Martha remembered one point about a year ago. It was almost as if she lost a good portion of her memories. Like she went to sleep for a few hours and woke up with no knowledge of why she was lying on the floor in the break room at UNIT. "Oh my God!"

"Martha?" Amy asked in confusion. There are a lot of things the Doctor used to talk about before the crack in the wall sealed that she knew about now, but this was something she was uncertain about. She did remember falling asleep one day and waking up later in confusion. Rory had experienced the same. "What happened then?"

Wilf told them of the Master and how he had turned the humans into himself and how he brought back the Time Lords. Amy still didn't know who this guy was to the Doctor, so she asked.

Martha replied, "He's a Time Lord as well. Nasty piece of work. The Doctor tried to save him many times but he just wouldn't listen."

"Time Lords had a strict policy of non-interference," Donna explained. "The Doctor didn't like that so he ran away from his people choosing to ignore that policy. Well he didn't purposely go looking for trouble, he doesn't need to does he?"

Rory chuckled. "No, it seems to find him on its own."

The group fell silent as they thought about their alien friend. Finally, Amy asked the question she knew was on everyone's minds. "Will the Doctor be all right?"

Martha smiled. "As far as Jenny and I can tell. Honestly, with him being the only Time Lord around it's hard to know unless he tells you or you find it in the TARDIS index file."

"Yeah," Rory replied. "He did say he was putting something together for just this sort of situation."

"It isn't finished and of course we don't know where it is," Amy added.

Martha's phone rang and saw it was Mickey. "Get over here quick! The Doctor's having some sort of seizure!"

"Rory, come with me!" she exclaimed, pulling the nurse along with her. She didn't stop to explain but knew Amy would be following her as well.


	9. All's well that ends well

Amy stopped half way to the bed as she watched Martha and Rory. She wondered if he would end up changing again. Finally, the seizure stopped and Amy released a breath she didn't even know she was holding. She slowly took a step towards them taking Rory's hand in hers. He looked at her with a tired smile. Before anyone could say a word, the Doctor's eyes snapped open and he sat up.

"Everyone all right?"

"Us?" Amy asked, willing her heart to stop beating so fast. "What about you?"

He smiled. "Oh I'm excellent! I admit I'm still a bit tired and probably will be for the next few weeks, but the seizure helped to clear the cobwebs and dispel the rest of the toxin in my system."

Everyone exchanged glances and Rory said, "Well I suppose you were right about helping Donna now instead of later and not just for her."

"Oh yes. Didn't I mention that?" the Doctor asked. "I knew that going ahead with the plan would help me out as well."

Amy shook her head. "Only you, Doctor. You're brilliant but sometimes you can be a bit absent-minded."

"I've heard that before," he replied with a smile.

Everyone began talking to each other at once about the Doctor, what would happen next and all that, but the Time Lord removed all the connecting equipment and slipped away. Amy realized she was the only one who saw him. She looked at him and he nodded towards the door. She knew he wanted to check on Donna and he wouldn't be able to with everyone fussing over him. Instead, she waited until he was gone to "notice" he had given them the slip.

****

The Doctor still felt a bit sore and weak but nothing was going to keep him away from Donna a moment longer. He wanted to apologize for his stupidity, even though he already had. If he hadn't been such a basket case of emotion, he wondered if he could have saved her sooner. He found her sitting on the pilot chair, Shaun and Wilf standing protectively nearby as she told them how she helped the Doctor save the Earth from the Daleks.

He stood there quietly, letting her tell the story. She was an amazing story teller his Donna. His best mate. Oh, how he missed her! The Doctor was startled when he felt a hand on his arm. "Donna!" he said.

"Are you all right? You look a bit pale," she told him, pulling him towards the chair. "Sit down."

He obeyed even as he replied, "I'm all right."

Donna shook her head. "You can be such a pain, Doctor. Let someone take care of you for a change. Something tells me you shouldn't be up yet." He shrugged. "What's wrong, Spaceman? This new incarnation of you is harder to read than your last one."

"I want you to know how sorry I am about everything that's happened. I was too... I don't know but I should have let you choose what you wanted. I could have spared you all that pain."

"You don't know that," she said him.

The Doctor was quiet for a moment before he replied, "Maybe I could have, maybe not. I still feel guilty about it."

Donna pulled him into a hug. "You're daft, do you know that? Why do you have to take on such enormous responsibility for everything?" She paused and added, "You've gained weight."

"Oh Donna, you are wonderful,” he said with a laugh.

She smiled. "Don't I know it!"

****

After a nice dinner courtesy of Martha and Mickey, the Doctor and his companions bid one another farewell. Martha took Amy and Rory aside while the Doctor spoke to Mickey. "Make sure you get him to rest. If you don't trust him to go somewhere and do that then keep him in the TARDIS. He's less likely to get into trouble in there." Amy glanced at Rory then all three laughed. "All right so that may not necessarily be true," she said. "I don't have to tell you that the poison put a strain on him. He's very good at hiding his physical pain as well as his emotional pain in this incarnation it seems."

Amy gave Martha a hug. "We'll keep him safe, I promise!"

"That seems like a tall order," Jenny said with a laugh also giving Martha a hug. "But of course we will try."

Mickey waved to them and soon they were all back in the TARDIS. "Just drop us off at Mum's, Doctor," she said. "Oh, and you have to come in with us."

"What?" the Doctor said, eyes wide.

Amy chuckled. "Oi! You faced Daleks and Weeping Angels, why are you so afraid of Donna's mother?"

"You haven't met her yet."

She still didn't understand the Doctor's hesitation regarding Mrs. Noble. With a shrug she and Rory followed everyone out of the TARDIS. An older woman with blonde hair came rushing towards them. "I was wondering where you'd gone off to!" she exclaimed. She looked past the Doctor to see the TARDIS and if it were possible her face became bright red with rage. "Where is he?" she growled.

The three looked at her and they realized why the Doctor was afraid of her. She was scary. "I'm right here," he replied ever so calmly.

Mrs. Noble looked from Shaun, to Wilf, to Donna, then back at the Doctor. She shook her head and addressed her daughter. "Where is he? He knew better than all of us to come back and try to have you remember! Is he trying to kill you again?"

"Mum, just relax and let me explain first," Donna said, taking her mother's hand. "That's the Doctor. When he's close to dying his race changes their appearance to save themselves. He did it to save Gramps and I went with him because I knew he could help me and he has. I can keep my memories from before. I can tell you all about them. The amazing things I did, the things I saw. I want to share all that with you. The Doctor's the one who saved me. Who saved Gramps. Who saves the whole bloody world all the time and no one knows!"

Amy waited for another outburst from the Mrs. Noble. She looked over at Shaun who nodded and smiled as he took Donna's hand. Suddenly, she rushed to the Doctor and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. Amy sighed in relief because she was waiting for the woman to punch him when she realized it was truly him. When she pulled herself from the Doctor, Mrs. Noble smiled and kissed his cheek. "I hope you can forgive me. I was just..." she looked over her shoulder at Donna.

"I know," he replied. "She's the most important person in the universe."

"You are too, you know," Mrs. Noble told him.

"I wouldn't go that far."

She nodded. "I would. You and those amazing companions of yours. All of them are important in the universe. You just need to remember one thing, Doctor."

"What's that?"

"Don't be a stranger."

Mrs. Noble turned on her heel and left him standing there staring after her in stunned silence. Wilf chuckled going over to say good-bye. "I know you have these two here, but I'll still look out for you every night if that's all right with you."

The Doctor blinked and nodded. "Thank you, Wilf," he said. Shaun went over to shake his hand and soon it was just Donna standing with him. "Well I never thought I'd see the day Sylvia Noble would give me a hug or a kiss."

"Yeah, that was pretty unbelievable for me too. But she's right you know. There's no need to be a stranger and don't just come around if you have a problem, right?"

"Right, Donna Noble. Take care of yourself."

She gave him a hug. "You too."

With a wave to Amy and Rory, Donna headed inside. He just stood there for a few minutes and Amy let him. After a bit, though, she and the others noticed that he was leaning too much to the right and rushed over to him. "Doctor!" she said, taking his arm.

"Careful, Pond. It seems my adrenaline is finally wearing off."

She winced. "Your shoulder then? Well, I think it's time to head back inside and get that sling back on," Amy told him as the entered the TARDIS. "Nurse?"

"Sounds right to me," Rory replied.

Jenny nodded. "And me was well!"

"I don't think it's very fair that the three of you are ganging up on me," he muttered.

“Oh dad we only do that because we care,” Jenny said, giving in him a peck on the cheek.

The Doctor gave her a look. “Isn’t that supposed to be my line to you?”

She smiled. "Not today."


End file.
